Mobile app developer heads to the valley

Australian DIY mobile app developer MobileNation has made its international debut at the DEMO start-up conference in the US and is currently dong the VC rounds. MobileNation was the only Australian company of the 53 start-ups selected to launch at the DEMO.

Its currently free platform gives non-geeks the tools to create a fully customisable app without any programming knowledge, the company says. Once users publish an app, MobileNation creates a QR code which is then used to install the app.

MobileNation was founded in 2008 by Tod Pedler, CEO of Australian Web content management company CentricMinds.

Pedler started the company with AU$500,000 of his own money, and said that the VC market interest in the US has been strong. "Investors recognise that the mobile market is driving innovation globally and want to find a smart play that gives them exposure to this sector. Within a few years, billions of smartphone and tablet devices will be connected to mobile networks," he said.

Pedler is currently on the capital raising tour with MobileNation Product Architect Ben Davey and CentricMinds chairman, John Hummelstad, a partner at Independent Capital Partners whose former roles include regional director of Microsoft Australia and Manager, IBM Venture Capital Asia Pacific at IBM Australia.

The company has also opened an office in Palo Alto and Pedler is planning to move to Silicon Valley later this year to continue its push into the US market. ®